Mobile News Central Africa

Subscribe

Advertise your job ad
    Search jobs

    MACRA gives G-Mobile another deadline

    Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has given Global Advanced Integrated Networks (G-Mobile), a company set to become the third mobile phone service provider, a new deadline of 12 April 2010 to roll out or risk revocation of its licence.

    In June last year, MACRA had given the company the 31 December deadline, but when it was clear that it would not happen, it changed the goal post and set 20 January 2010 as the date for the company to roll out its network services.

    MACRA communications manager Zadziko Mankhambo told a local daily that it had written to G-Mobile on Monday, 22 February 2010 to either roll out or have their licence revoked.

    Last year the company announced that it had entered a deal with South Africa's Beryl Capital and Telecoms worth US$90m for the supply, installation and commissioning of the company in the country.

    For the deal to work, local shareholders decided to sell 75 % shares of a Botswana-based partner Peter Lamplough to Beryl Telecoms a move that was legally challenged by Lamplough and rejected by MACRA.

    A commercial court in Blantyre had given the nod to G-Mobile to engage Beryl Telecoms into its project after they complained to the court that Lamplough did not have money to invest in the project and was also uncooperative to allow Beryl Telecoms, which had signed an agreement with G-mobile to buy majority shares in the company.

    G-Mobile director of administration, Harold Muyawa said the delay was because they had entered into negotiations with competitors in the market - Zain Malawi and TNM - on issues of co-sitting in areas where they have towers, which took some time.

    About Gregory Gondwe

    Gregory Gondwe is a Malawian journalist who started writing in 1993. He is also a media consultant assisting several international journalists pursuing assignments in Malawi. He holds a Diploma and an Intermediate Certificate in Journalism among other media-related certificates. He can be contacted on moc.liamg@ewdnogyrogerg. Follow him on Twitter at @Kalipochi.
    Let's do Biz